The town of Čakovec, located in Medjimurje County in northern Croatia, has a population of 27,122, with the wider county home to 105,250 residents. The area counts a high number of multi-apartment buildings built before the 1990s with significant need for renovation, and energy renovation is becoming an imperative among citizens, building managers, energy experts, and the County itself, mostly because of the health, financial, social, and environmental benefits it brings. The area was also selected due to a high number of already renovated buildings, with more and more being planned, as well as the overall mission of the County and its energy agency to become more energy neutral, green, and sustainable. The main priority buildings were built before the 1990s, have 20 or more apartments, lack wall insulation, have old wooden carpentry, and rely on inefficient technical systems that have not been updated since construction, with mainly older people living in such buildings.

Renovation in Medjimurje County faces a range of barriers, including lack of information and interest among tenants, long-lasting administrative procedures when applying for funding, high upfront costs, fear of change, insufficient communication with building managers, and lack of continuous available funding sources. The main funding instrument is the Call for energy renovation of multi-apartment buildings under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, complemented by bank loans, green loans, and private capital, though measures for energy-poor households are available only for family houses and not multi-apartment buildings. Energy renovation causes improvement of the energy class from D, E, and F to A and B, with energy savings of at least 50% of heating energy demand and 30% of primary energy required under the terms of the Call, resulting in improved living comfort, better health conditions, financial savings, and overall improved quality of life for tenants. The current state of renovation differs from building to building — some are already completed, some are in progress, and most are still on the waiting list.